A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Diaries out?

Circled Sunday 14th March with a red felt tip? No me neither (who DOES that anyway?)

This is the first Mother’s Day I can join in with over on THAT side of the fence (the baggy fanny brigade* welcomed me last May incase you don’t read my baby bores).

And in honour, I’m doing two gift guides.  One for my Mum and one for me, ‘cos yano…. I totally catch Leila up here at the computer reading my blog when I’m not looking.

But first, here’s a no-nonsense guide to some lovely things that MY mother would be more than happy to receive this Sunday:

1. Ponds Cold Cream Cleanser (£3.99) – A true classic, uniting generations and still finding a place in bathroom cabinets across the world (including my Mums).

2. Tesco Skin Wisdom Microdermabrasion Kit (£10.00) – Ever since microdermabrasion became a bit fashionable a couple of years ago, I’ve caught her looking wistfully at the features on telly.  Good old Tesco offer a slightly more affordable DIY kit.

3. Bourjois Soir de Paris (£16.95) – “Evening in Paris” as it used to be known back in the…um… the… I dunno, dark ages… Anyway, Mum used to wear this and thought it had long been discontinued.  Kudos to the ladies at Bourjois for letting me know it still existed!

4. Schwarzkopf Bonacure Time Restore Night Spray (£10.95) – Formulated for more mature locks.  Mum’s a bit low maintenance with her hair, and this looks like a fuss-free hair treat before bed… spray it on and sleep!

5. Estee Lauder Hydrationist Maximum Moisture Creme (£32) – We’re both fans of Estee Lauder and their latest release promises to be a big hit.  I might buy this for her, but I can’t promise she’ll keep her hands on it for long…

6. Schwarzkopf Bonacure Color Save Silver Shampoo (£8.65) – Mum still retains a good amount of blonde hair, but with strands of silver running through this, would make a great choice to tone down brassiness and keep the silver looking silver instead of grey.

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…and here’s what I wouldn’t mind finding upon waking after my 2pm lie-in and breakfast in bed come Sunday (hint, hint).

1. Clarisonic Plus (£175) – Developed by the same people that do those Sonicare toothbrushes, this litle gadget promises to remove six times more makeup than manual cleansing and reduce the appearance of open pores, fine lines and wrinkles, all whilst improving skin tone too.  We’ll all have one shall we? Who cares if you’re a Mum anyway?

2. Elemis Pro Radiance Cream Cleanser (£27) – I flippin’ love me a bit of Elemis!  A great British luxury brand that knows how to hype a product.  Unfortunately, Elemis doesn’t love my purse too much… but I’m celebrating a guilt-free day right?  Their new Pro Radiance Cream Cleanser is on my wishlist… and if I don’t get it, I’m witholding cuddles for at least 10 minutes.

3. Alter Ego Hairdryer from EGO Professional (£109.99) – ZOMG!  Listen up ladies.  This is what is known as a ‘Sunny’ hairdryer.  Normal hairdryers blast out air and blow your hair all over the shop right?  I mean that’s how they dry… they effectively blow the water molecules off your barnet.  Well… this baby dries your hair using infrared technology to evaporate the water droplets.  Which means no more tangling as you’re drying… and surely less noise too!  In a house with a light sleeping baby, I’m considering this a joint gift!

4. Idole D’Armani (£35) – A beautifully balanced fragrance that’s light without being fluffy.  It’s spicy, floral and sweet all at once and lasts forever on my skin.  This will still be on my wishlist when my birthday comes around if I’m not hugely lucky on Sunday.

5. Buxom Sailor Girls Set by Bare Escentuals (£25) – Not out ’till April, I’m happy to take a raincheck on this adorable set of ‘lip polishes’.  I had a couple of them applied on me a couple of weeks ago at a press day and fell in love, not only with the shades but also the lip-plumping sensation that seemed to last for HOURS!

6. Retro Jackie Necklace from Dollipops (£7.99) – How cute? Strung on a silver-plated chain, I’m sure to get some knowing “we’re almost over the hill” looks of consolidation from passing strangers with this round my neck.  It’s too adorable!

7. Bourjois Sweet Kiss Shine Lipstick in Rose Pomponne (£7.99) – I tried the latest addition to the Bourjois Sweet Kiss Shine lineup a couple of weeks ago (Sweet Tangerine) and whilst I adored the old-skool rose-scented formula and moisturising finish, the colour just wasn’t me.  So here’s one that is, take note Leila.

BRING IT ON! *hastily does lots of perfect mummy-type things*

Oh and you may have noticed that my wishlist is about 15 times more expensive than my mother’s… I do assure you, it’s like TOTALLY an accident…

oh wait… I knew I forgot something!

* Hooray for emergency C-Sections!  Every cloud and all that…

I picked this up on a recent expedition to one of my local Boots stores.

Prestige are originally a US brand, now sold in over 45 countries globally.  Over here, they’re available in larger Boots stores.

When I saw the Skin Loving Minerals Brozing Powders, I was surprised to see one of them so pale in tone… infact, sad old git that I am… I got quite excited and practically skipped to the checkouts.  Although, not before adding half the Bourjois stand to my basket.

Anyway, shopaholic tendencies aside, how does this stack up?

It’s a baked, marbelized pressed powder with a lot of shimmer, but no glitter.  Texture is smooth enough, but not as smooth as some…. I’m thinking of the LE No7 Highlighting Powder which glides like velvet onto the skin (I don’t own it – I think 4 pale gold powder highlighters are quite enough for one makeup addict’s collection – at least that’s the mantra).

I really like the packaging, it’s not fancy… it’s not even particularly pretty, but it feels quite modern and I can’t think of too many producs that are housed in little clear perspex-esque boxes like this.  It’s functional and clean. Thumbs up.

You can see how shimmery it is (maybe the shade name “Pure Shimmer” should have given me… yano… a freaking clue!).  You need a  fairly light touch and I use it as a highlighter not a bronzer… I’m not a discoball.  I think it’s even too shimmery to use on the crests of your facial contours… I wouldn’t want a strip of this running down the bridge of my nose for example…

But, as a highlighter, I really like it.  It imparts a healthy glow and does all that lovely shimmery stuff when you turn your head slightly.  Compared to NARS Albatross, it’s not a bad dupe at all really colour/shimmer-wise.  Mr. L couldn’t tell the difference.  But before I start shouting DUPE Alert left, right and centre… I’ll have a proper look at both under some natural light, I think the Prestige may be a touch more golden…

Prestige Skin Loving Minerals Bronzers are available in 3 shades and are currently on offer in Boots stores nationwide, priced at £6.99 each (a saving of £2 on the RRP)

No idea when this is coming out over here… or even IF it’s coming out, I’m still sulking over the missing Wildflower Collection.  Maybe we can expect this next Winter, who knows? *shrugs*

That aside… High Steppin’ is Barielle’s Summer 2010 offering.  Mostly metallics which aren’t generally my favourite finish unless they’re formulated well enough to avoid streakiness but I’m pretty keen on some of the colours and I like that they’ve included some of their glittery numbers too.  I’m a big fan of those.

Enough chatting, have a looksie…

So here’s the lowdown, shade by shade…

Electric Boogie: Inky Blue with teal glitter (yes please!)

Slow Motion: Light metallic Lavender (possibly… if it’s edgy rather than sugary…)

Freestyle: Metallic mint with Silver Glitter (hmmmm….. not sure… maybe)

Passion Pirouette: A grape metallic purple (I’m nodding furiously)

Night Moves: Sparkling metallic silver (meh….)

Belly Dance: Nude taupe with shimmer (ewwoooogah! as Leila says in a fit of enthusiasm!)

So that’s half the collection in my shopping basket if and when it ever gets released over here.

What do you think?

… and vote for my Mum to win Avon’s International Women’s Day competition.

Link to the voting page

You can read my original entry here.

If we won, I can’t promise I’d give the goodies away to you guys, I’m afraid my mother’s already staked her potential claim…. the mercenary.  Still… she needs beauty products more than me 😉  (she’ll kill me when she reads that!).

The lovely liloo is in search of a potential nail polish delight.  She’s looking for a wearable (ie. not too bright or shocking) blue-based pink.  Think MAC Snob in a bottle.

I’ve been through my collection and can’t find anything suitable.  This was the nearest.

I picked Mavala Miami up when I raided the Debenhams sale last summer, it is blue based… perhaps not strongly enough to fit in the ‘Snob’ category, but it’s getting there.

As for my polish requirements.  I LOVE it. It’s pink and girly, but stops short of being sugary thanks to it’s definite brightness.  I feel all summery wearing it and I may even have to reapply before moving on to another shade (high praise indeed!).

Application was tremendous.  3 easy, easy coats achieved a perfect finish, but as with a lot of Mavala’s, it doesn’t quite have the high-gloss finish I love, so I added a top-coat to get that glass-like sheen.  Longevity is average, a bit of tip wear towards the end of the 2nd day, but it’s not too noticeable thanks to the forgiving shade.

I’m really pleased I picked this Mavala Miami shade up and I may have to start dragging myself into some more spring/summer-like shades!

Anyone have any nail polish “Snob” suggestions for Liloo?

Anyone up for doing a guest review for me?

I have been given a sample for review consideration but it’s too dark for me.

This is the bareMinerals SPF30 Natural Sunscreen.

They say:

Our breakthrough head-to-toe sun protection will change the way you feel about sunscreen forever.  This 100% natural, micronized Titanium Dioxide mineral creates a physical barrier on your skin, providing UVA/UVB protection and defending against premature skin ageing and sun damage.  It’s weightless, breathable, non-greasy and won’t clog pores or cause breakouts.  Available in Light, Medium and Tan.

Available from April 2010. RRP £25.00

I’m looking for someone with a medium skintone (NC/NW 25 – 35) please. UK only.  Oh, and it lists Bismuth Oxychloride in the ingredients, so don’t apply if you’re sensitive to that ingredient – don’t wanna be responsible for scabby, itchy faces now do I?

If you’re interested in being my guest reviewer, leave me a comment below and I’ll choose someone on Wednesday.

Thank You!

My last foray into ELF’s eyeliners was not a successful one.  About a year ago, I picked up a couple of the liquid liners they do and HATED them.  Scratchy and lacking in pigmentation made them a huge fail for me so I was ready to be disappointed when I accepted the offer to try a liner from the new ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner range.

I chose Coffee, a medium brown shade.  There are currently 4 shades in the line up: Coffee (medium brown), Black, Midnight (dark blue) and Ivory (off white pearl)

The packaging fits in nicely with the rest of the Studio line, the jar is plastic with a solid, chunky feel.  The lid screws on with a satisfying click when it’s fully tightened.  Lightweight and portable, it’s not the sleekest eyeliner in the world, but it’s fully practical.

The texture of the liner is *incredibly* soft, perhaps a little too soft.  When I dip my brush, the fibres sink downward straight into the product which makes it a little hard to stroke across the surface without picking up too much product.  A couple of times, I’ve picked up a whole clump of eyeliner on the brush instead of an even coating.

You can see the tip of the brush sinking straight into the product in the shot above.  Whilst this might mean it takes a little more care to load your brush, it makes for the smoothest application of any liner I’ve ever used.  And I’ve used a lot.  Note, that this only applies to this particular shade as I know texture can vary between products in the same line.

Pigmentation is medium, I needed to go over the line twice to build it up to my desired strength, but when a liner glides as smoothly as this one does, it’s not a problem.

The above swatch shows 3 swipes of the liner.  It takes about a minute to set before becoming truly transfer proof.  Even on my hooded eyelid it stuck fast for hours, by bedtime the line had faded to about half it’s original intensity, but the fading was even.

I’ve also used it as a cream base which worked really well thanks to it’s super-soft texture.  Blending was a delight and I love wearing it under greens to create a more ‘old gold’ kinda shade.  I haven’t noticed it partcularly increasing longevity on eyeshadows though, so I still combine with a slick of eyeshadow primer underneath.

I’m amazed by the quality of my ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner, and at £3.50 you really can’t go wrong.

~ Over at theNotice, Rae talks about the “LOL Scarf” (aka the MAC Liberty of London scarf,) and wonders why the heck anyone would spend $115 on it!

~ Head over to Beautifully Glossy to read what GlossQueen has to say about Diorshow’s Iconic Mascara.

~ Curious to see how the Purple Lab Silk Sheets Luxe Foundation measures up? Blaq Vixen Beauty has the scoop!

~ Arianne of Glitter Geek is still in a makeup rut, so she tries to fight back with smoky blue eyeshadows!

~ Krasey Beauty gets acquainted with the new Chanel Rouge Coco lipsticks, and promptly falls in love.

~ Hot Beauty Health shares hot hair color trends to wear in 2010.

~ Jeweled Thumb asks the age old question: “Would you like some lip gloss with those oysters?” Wait, what?

~ Jellyminx Thinks is featured on Makeup.com, thanks to the lovely people at Lancome.

~ Lights…Camera…Action! Mz. More at The Glamorous Gleam gets ready for her close up as she reviews the new HD foundation from Revlon.

~ Vex in the City unveils swatches in all their pastel glory from Revlon Spring 2010.

~ Christelle at Beauty Crazed uses Mary Kay to shut down her shine!

~ Beauty Woo Me wants you to stop making that Duckface!

~ Ever wanted to know the differences between the Beauty Blender and it’s dupes? Hell Candy Make Up did! Read her reviews here.

~ On her hunt for the perfect scent, TheLipPrint discovers an indie gem – Sonoma Scent Studio’s Opal and Vintage Rose.

~ Coral is the hottest colour for Spring and Summer. Discover the perfect coral lipstick in Over by Illamasqua with Makeup4All!

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~ Help Audrey Dao celebrate her 1 year blog anniversary with giveaways all month long!

~ Prime Beauty asks “What’s your favorite eyeliner?” and gives away a Stila Mini Smudge Pot Collection.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s Link Love! See you soon 🙂

Just a quickie to show-off my lovely new Sugarpill loose eyeshadows (proper review and swatches coming VERY soon!)

Eyes:
Sugarpill Cosmetics in Starling on the lid and lower lashline (dry)
Sugarpill Cosmetics in Goldilux in the crease and inner corner (dry)

Cheeks:
NARS blush in Angelika

Lips:
Lanolips 101 Ointment
OCC Lip Tar in Pageant

I’m pleased to announce the winner of last week’s giveaway!

The fabulous and rather lovely Jemma Kidd Midnght Jewels palette goes to…

… bit more anticipation… go on… scroll!

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Styleezta

Congratulations lovely!

Please email me your address details and I’ll get your prize in the post!

Thanks for taking part everyone, 84 entries! Phew-eee!

In honour of International Women’s Day, Avon invited me to write about the most remarkable woman in my life for their “Wonderful Women” competition…

Now, most daughters think their Mum is the best, but mine really is! 😉 She was 40 when I was born with more than a few complications. I was 3 months premature and back then, less babies survived those stacked odds. She spent months in hospital with me until I was strong enough to return home.

Mum retired in 1993 after developing a rare form of breast cancer. She was diagnosed in November, but didn’t tell anyone until January so as not to spoil Christmas. It’s funny, because despite numerous, gruelling operations, I never once believed that I’d lose her… she made cancer seem of such minor importance that it wasn’t until years later that I appreciated how close we’d all come.

One death-defying manoeuvre accomplished, Mum was finally free to enjoy retirement. For a few months at least, until my Nan developed Alzheimer’s and Mum insisted that her mother-in-law come live with us. My lovely Nan passed away three years ago after twelve years in Mum’s complete care. Twelve years is a long time for an Alzheimer’s sufferer to survive and Mum made sure that each of Nan’s remaining days were worth living for. My Mum is one strong and loyal lady, my remarkable woman.

Mum with Nan a few hours before she passed away – 2007

Mum finally enjoying some respite! – 2010

In March 1976, the late Dame Anita Roddick founded The Body Shop in Littlehampton – a small seaside town on the South coast of England.  Fast forward 34 years to the present day and The Body Shop now boasts the second largest cosmetic franchise in the world.

I went along to The Westbury Hotel in Mayfair last week to hear a presentation on behalf of The Body Shop who are currently celebrating 22 years of community trade across the globe.  From India to Namibia, Guatemala to Samoa the world is their garden and as a company, they want us to know that they’re taking measures to protect it and the lives it supports.

It’s currently Fairtrade Fortnight (22nd Feb – 7th Mar) and The Body Shop were keen to highlight and explain exactly what Community Trade (CT) means and what it involves.

4 of the 6000 women that make up the Eudafano Women’s Cooperative (EWC) in Namibia.  The EWC supplies  The Body Shop wih Marula Oil (used in nearly all their cosmetics).

Community Trade works along the same principles as Fair Trade, but was established back in 1987 before the Fair Trade mark was available or had indeed become fashionable.  From what I understood, the main difference is that the foundations of fair trade are laid much deeper in the CT program and work to support the producer’s whole community, not just the producers themselves.  The Body Shop also made it clear that they never enter CT relationships for the short term and only commit to sustainable trading relationships that help affect real social change.

Click play on the video below to learn more about The Body Shop’s involvement with Community Trade:

Two of The Body Shop’s major CT suppliers were in attendance and it was a rare and interesting opportunity to hear how their involvement with The Body Shop affects the communities and co-operatives they represent.  It became clear very quickly that the democratic relationship between the ‘industries’ was a precious one to both parties.

Whilst I was sitting there, the antagonist in me kept thinking “What do The Body Shop get out of these CT arrangements when it means they have to pay more for their ingredients?”.  Thankfully, Christina from The Body Shop didn’t shy away from that subject and explained that it is simply expected of them to uphold the core values that, as a company, they’ve always claimed to represent.  Community Trade allows them to continue their commitments to trading with a conscience whilst benefiting from the (often ancient) knowledge of real experts and assured quality products.

I’m willing to admit that in the past, I’ve accused The Body Shop products of being overpriced and in comparison to products I can buy in other high street stores, they are.  I still may only be able to afford to treat myself to my Olive Glossing Shampoo & Conditioner when I’m feeling flush, but I will now hand over my money with a degree of contentment.  It’s good to know that every purchase made contributes to making a real and sustained difference to communities.  Communities that without the CT backing by The Body Shop would be powerless to break into global markets or risk plundering by unethical industry.